A new coach and a retooled roster will gather in Coral Springs for the first time when training camp opens.

Although the first on-ice practice won't commence until Saturday, Tallon is understandably excited about the metamorphosis the franchise has gone through in the past seven months.

“We're all excited because we're not sure what we have here,'' Tallon said. “What we do know is we have more options than we've ever had, or since I've been here. It's just a matter of putting it together and seeing how things work out.''

Since Tallon started tearing apart the roster in February of last year's lost season, he's been looking forward to a fresh start. The Panthers will have 57 players in camp this season, many of whom will be wearing the Panthers uniform for the first time.

Not only did Tallon replace coach Pete DeBoer with NHL veteran – and former American Hockey League coach of the year – Kevin Dineen, but he completely re-tooled the roster from top to bottom.

“A lot of us know each other from other teams and we've been around each other for the past few weeks,'' said center Stephen Weiss, who begins his ninth full season with the Panthers. Weiss is 56 games away from becoming the franchise leader.

Players will report at the team's training facility in Coral Springs on Friday morning for physicals and meetings with the new coaching staff. On Saturday, the Panthers will utilize all three sheets of ice to accommodate the large number of players.

Tallon said the Panthers will carry at least two extra players when the final roster is decided on and he will begin paring down the roster after Monday's opening games.

The Panthers only have a handful of openings on the roster, with rookies Erik Gudbranson, Jonathan Huberdeau, Quinton Howden and others expected to get serious looks. Players like Evgeny Dadonov, Shawn Matthias, Michal Repik, Ryan Carter and Steven Reinprecht are also fighting for roster spots.

“There's probably three or four spots available,'' Tallon said. “No one should be comfortable. We have enough assets know that everyone is going to be challenged for a position. But realistically, it's three or four. We're going to get deeper each year and the decisions will be more difficult each year.''

-- The Panthers released their training camp roster on Thursday afternoon and there are few surprises on it.

Florida, which will hold its first full practice on Saturday morning, has 57 men on the squad. It breaks down like this: 35 forwards, 17 defensemen and five goalies.

The Panthers will start making cuts following Monday's doubleheader against the Predators.